Rangers History Today: A 'Grand' Week For Parrish
On this date in Texas Rangers history, Larry Parrish tied a Major League record with three grand slams in one week.
The week, from July 4 to July 10 in 1982, went like this:
July 4: Parrish hit a grand slam off of Oakland’s Fernando Arroyo in the fourth inning of an 11-4 Rangers victory. It was the second of two home runs for Parrish that day, as he hit a three-run home run off Matt Keough in the third inning. It was part of a 2-for-3 game with seven RBI for Parrish
July 7: Parrish hit a grand slam off of Boston’s Mark Clear in the ninth inning of an 8-5 loss to the Boston Red Sox.
July 10: Parrish hit a grand slam off of Detroit’s Milt Wilcox in the first inning of a 6-5 Rangers victory in the first game of a doubleheader at Arlington Stadium.
During this stretch Parrish played in a whopping 10 games (the Rangers played two doubleheaders in that stretch). Parrish was on a hot streak like no other in those 10 games, hitting .514 and driving in 19 runs.
Parrish played a 15-year career in the Majors, and is most associated with his time in Boston, Montreal, and Texas. With the Rangers, Parrish played seven seasons and hit .264 with 149 home runs and 522 RBI. His career numbers were .263 with 256 home runs and 992 RBI. He was selected an All-Star twice.
Also on this date …
July 10, 1984: Infielder Buddy Bell was the lone representative of the Rangers in the All-Star Game, held at Candlestick Park in San Francisco. It was Bell’s last All-Star Game appearance with the Rangers.
July 10, 1990: Julio Franco was named the Most Valuable Player of the All-Star Game, held at Wrigley Field, the home of the Chicago Cubs. Franco hit a two-run double off of Rob Dibble, after a one-hour rain delay, to drive in the only two runs of the game, which the American League won, 2-0. He was the only Rangers player in the game.
July 10, 2001: Catcher Iván ‘Pudge’ Rodríguez made his ninth, and final, All-Star Game appearance with the Rangers when the game was played at Safeco Field in Seattle. Rodríguez hit ninth in the order. Also starting in the game was shortstop Alex Rodriguez, who was in his first year with the Rangers and hit No. 2 in the order. A-Rod was the first Rangers player to participate in the Home Run Derby.
July 10, 2007: At San Francisco, Michael Young was the Rangers’ lone representative in the All-Star Game. He did not play.
July 12, 2012: The Rangers placed eight players in the All-Star Game for the first time, and also had three starters for the first time, when the game was played in Kansas City. Josh Hamilton, Adrián Beltré and Mike Napoli all started for the American League. Ian Kinsler and Elvis Andrus were selected as reserves. Yu Darvish, Matt Harrison and Joe Nathan were selected as pitchers. For the second straight year, Rangers manager Ron Washington was the American League manager.
More on SI's Inside The Rangers:
- Who Will The Rangers Take At No. 2? What The Experts Are Saying
- MLB Draft Preview: What Direction Might The Rangers Go At No. 2 Overall?
- Joey Gallo Happy To Do Home Run Derby In Rangers Uniform
- Rangers Draft Central: Everything You Need To Know Before Texas Picks No. 2 Overall
Are we missing a moment from this day in Texas Rangers history? We’re happy to add it. Hit us up on Twitter @PostinsPostcard and let us know what to add.
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